Pillow Talk
by Lolita The Gothic
Summary: Various oneshots and plot drafts of varying lengths, ratings, pairings and themes. Enjoy!
1. Reaction

**Disclaimer: This is an archive of all the oneshots or plotlines that I had hoped would turn into something promising, but instead they flopped. They have been** **"figuratively" collecting dust over the months on my computer. So I am putting them all under one submission.  
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Originally written: Jun 26, 2013

Bella / Edward

Rating: T

Based on Bella and Edward's original argument at the hospital, after the van accident. I really liked how this scene played out in the movie. The few beginning lines used were as direct quotes, the rest is all me.

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01\. **Reaction**

"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of ridicule and contempt as he gazed at deep brown eyes.

"I'm not going to tell anybody." The young brunette said each word slowly, carefully controlling her anger.

Surprise flitted across his pale face. "Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to _me_ ," she insisted. "I don't like to lie – so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."

His handsome face pinched in frustration. "Can't you just thank me and get over it?"

"Thank you." She blurted shakily. She waited, fuming yet hopeful.

His golden eyes scrutinized her beautifully delicate face. He could see the resolve in her features. She was stubborn, but still so beautiful in her determination. "You're not going to let it go, are you?"

"No."

"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment." He replied with contempt – The venomous words inflicting more damage than intended.

He instantly saw the mistake in his chosen words reflected in the reaction on her face. Like the domino effect, he saw how she responded before him. One emotion after the other expressed in her brilliant eyes.

He witnessed how his words, his shamefully insensitive words began cutting at her feelings. He clenched his fists tightly – hurt, betrayal, distrust, anger, deception, her gaze spoke volumes. But he only felt one emotion go through him; regret.

Before he had a chance to right his wrong, she steeled her gaze and hardened her stance in front of him. The bronze haired young man minutely flinched, bewildered by her sudden change in demeanor.

She leaned her torso towards him, held his gaze, as though she was about to whisper a scandalous secret. He held his breath, if he had a heart it would have stopped in that one earth shattering moment.

Her rosy lips moved. He focused on them as she spoke; yet the words didn't register until she said her piece. "The disappointment will be all yours. _Trust me_."

She didn't allow him a chance to respond. She turned around in a whirl; her long auburn curls whipped him in the face, her scent assaulting his nose.

She was walking away from him.

"Wait!" he called to her.

"It's too late." Came her reply, she didn't stop. She said it over her shoulder.

As though he was a thing of the past. And she was the future, leaving him behind in the dust.

He grew desperate. Every cell in his body screamed at him to not let her go. Convince her to come back.

"Let me give you a ride." He implored.

She kept walking. "I'll manage better without you."

He blanched. It sounded like she meant more than she implied. But that was preposterous.

He exhaled slowly, his lungs didn't require it but it helped ground him. His hands were shaking his jaw was tense.

He felt helpless at this point. But as she continued to walk further from him, he tried to speak up – one more chance. It felt like his _last_ chance.

He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut just as quick. He didn't realize her father was standing at the end of the corridor. The father was glaring at the young man as his daughter approached him.

But the older man softened his gaze once his little girl reached to stand beside him. He placed his aged hand on her shoulder and they walked together towards the hospital emergency exit.

He attempted to convey a casual tone.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, Bella." he called out.

"Don't count on it." was her final parting word.

And she left.

She was right. He didn't see her the next day – or the next day, or the day after that.

She didn't show up to school that entire week.

He felt miserable. His family got an earful of it, and they were getting weary. He complained loudly every day like a chicken with its head cut off.

His sister, the seer, wasn't speaking to him.

She texted him persistently after he left the hospital – He didn't read any of her messages; he didn't need to. With the continued pattern his phone vibrated in his pocket he got the sense that she was livid. And when he got home she confronted him.

He would have preferred confronting a raging bull than a pint-sized pixie. Whose voice got an octave higher with each sentence she screamed at him.

 _The future has changed_ – is what she said.

The lovely girl that captured his attention won't be his anymore. And that's when he started to actually listen.

"You have been hiding this from me?" he accused. He tried to play the victim.

"You weren't supposed to know because the events would have naturally taken their course. You would have been together either way," she stopped yelling. Her anger finally dissipated.

"Their might still be a chance." his chest swelled with hope.

"I wouldn't bet on it if I were you." She stated as she paced their living room, rubbing her temple like she had a headache.

His golden eyes hardened. He crossed his arms. He was always so stubborn. "What could have possibly changed?"

Alice stopped pacing. She marched right up in her brother's face – the anger was back. "Your big mouth, that's what!" she spat in his face before she fled up to her room. Slamming the door hard enough for everyone to feel her ire, but not too hard to break the wood.

She hasn't spoken to him since.


	2. Devil

Originally written: Nov 12, 2014

Bella / Caius

Rating: T

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02\. **The Devil**

" _Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour_."

"Wait .. N-no .. wait! This isn't right! You promised me you would turn me. You gave your _WORD!_ " She pleaded.

The Devil only smirked. "I vowed and I shall fulfill. But I didn't say _when_ I would make you one of us."

He towered over the little morsel. "And until I deem you ready to join our side, you will be put to good use."

"Good … use?" She stuttered. It wasn't elegant and _she_ wasn't seductive. But she was breakable and she can be taught.

"I wonder …" he mused to himself loudly. Red eyes shining with ill intent. "What other things can someone like me _entertain_ in a warm living creature – other than the blood." He always wanted to utter these thoughts aloud. Yet he never had the occasion.

All the mortals were food to The Devil. That was the law, his brother's law. No one survived, and no one got away.

Except for her.

And maybe it was a sign.

Now she will play his game. And he shall see how long she lasts.

Everyone around her thought she was strong and brave. The Devil will prove that she is weak, the weakest among her race. He will show it as he laughs in triumph. And they – they will all bow their heads in humiliation.

Only The Devil can knock that pretty little gilded pedestal they placed this breakable _thing_ on it.

"N-no …" She whimpered.

'How unsightly.' He thought with a sneer.

He reached out and grabbed her by the throat. She panicked. She tried to take deep breaths. So futile. His grip was like steel, none ever escaped it.

The less air she inhaled, the fainter she got. Her limbs slowly lost their strength only to go limp. He wouldn't kill her, not yet, for he had special plans for her. It's not every day that one gets to play with their food.

Her eyelids started to droop from lack of air. And what still remained was her last seconds of consciousness as she uselessly fought to keep her eyes open. He applied a little more pressure on her neck. All it took was a press of his thumb. The Devil licked his lips. Power over the powerless was a sight to behold.

"Why?" She whispered in a boozy slur.

His mouth twisted in distaste. "You are coming with me, and I prefer no resistance and no complaints."

That wasn't entirely the truth. He liked the object to _want_ to resist. But in the end they surrender the thought once they realize they will fight a losing battle. And _she_ was most certainly no match for him.

The girl only had but a second before she would fall to the darkness of her mind. The Devil decided to answer her question.

He leaned forward. Icy exhales floating over her warm skin. He realized she harbored an aversion to his touch – that could be fixed too.

For this moment, however, he decided to use her discomfort to his advantage. He always liked to see them squirm. He stuck out his tongue, and with its chilled wetness he slid the tip from the curve of her neck across the concaved shell of her ear, all the way to the soft lobe. Leaving a trail of frigid moisture in its course.

She shivered. Tears formed between her lids. She didn't like it. But who cares – certainly not The Devil.

His thin pale lips crept to the hollow of her ear. He spoke in a soothing, gentle murmur. "What becomes of a bud if it doesn't receive the nurture to blossom into a flower?" Even if she couldn't see him. An eerie grin stretched across his lips. Sharp predatory fangs peeking out.

Then he whispered. "I look forward to using you to seek that answer; whether you are willing or not."

Her collected tears fell freely down her heart-shaped face. He pressed his fingers further into her throat and she was out like a candle.

He released his grip on her neck as she fell to the floor limp as a rag doll.

The Devil tilted his head, red eyes surveying his unconscious prey.

And in a spontaneous decision he bent down. Long blonde hair cascading over his shoulders as he reached forward and grasped the girl's top by its collar. And with no remorse he ripped her blouse in half. The same was done with her skirt and under garments.

Her body wasn't too ugly. It still needed to grow and fill in all the right places. But those _clothes_ insulted his sight. And they were better suited, as a shredded pile, on the floor of her tiny bedroom for the next person to find. Specifically, her _Boy Prince_.

The girl couldn't hear The Devil's words, but he said them anyway. For his own satisfaction mostly. "Pathetic little human. You are not worthy of immortality – Though I will keep you alive. That I can pledge. Your sanity, on the other hand, that is something I cannot promise." He laughed with glee. He had a new toy to play with to his black heart's content.

He wasted no time. He gathered her in his arms and whisked her away. Disappearing into the night.

" _He who sins is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning_."


	3. Sister

Originally Written: May 3rd, 2015

Emmett / Bella

Rating: T

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03\. **Sister**

I loved my sister. She wasn't related to me or anything. And when I first met her, I thought she wasn't something special. Everyone around me made such a big deal about her. Everyone at school. The whole town. Even my own family – My youngest brother fell head over heels for her. But I didn't see the charm they all saw.

Not at first. But as time went on, my thoughts on her started to change.

She started coming to our house more and more. Alice was practically smitten with the little human. She appeared shy at first, but it takes a little coaxing to bring her out of her shell. And then her personality shines like the sun.

I loved my sister. She was kind. Not just to her friends, but to strangers and new people she met alike. She didn't discriminate. She was all about equality. That mattered the most when she learned of my family's secret. She didn't see us as the monsters we were. She judged us based on _who_ we were. Not on _what_ we were.

I loved my sister. She was brave. The bravest person I have ever met. She knew her weaknesses, she acknowledged her limits. But that did not stop her from trying to put herself in the line of fire for the people she loved.

When she thought a nomad vampire came for her family, she went against her own self-preservation. Walked into a building alone, faced a dangerous vampire head-on to save her mother. When most would say she was foolish, we saw her as self-sacrificing.

She survived the attack, just barely. Almost turned into one of us. I would have been ecstatic. But my brother intervened. They all said it wasn't her time. I guess I agree with them on some level. But a part of me wished she had changed that night at the ballet studio – I still imagine how things would have went had she went through the change. We would have had so much fun.

After the attack she couldn't come to our house. She was too injured to move. That didn't stop me from going to her house instead. She always welcomed me with a wide smile, and a space beside her on that incredibly tiny bed. I was amazed it didn't break under my heavy weight.

We spent hours together, every single day. And I found myself talking to her about everything I liked, loved, and hated. I talked to her more than I ever talked to anyone for as long as I remembered. And she – she just listened to me, _really_ listened to me. Not even my own wife did that.

I loved my sister. Even when my idiot brother decided we should pick-up and leave town. Why? All because of a stupid papercut accident. It was silly. And I was angry. Because none of us had a say in the matter. Our parents gave him all the support he needed in his selfish decision because he was going through the heartache of losing the one he loved – _oh, boohoo!_ – They didn't consider any of our feelings. They didn't even consider _my_ feelings. I was outnumbered, outvoted. I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye to her. She must have thought me a coward.

It broke my heart. I loved my sister. I hated my brother. He tore us apart. Tore our family apart – And my sister? We abandoned her.

But thankfully not for long. Half a year later, and we were back. As though nothing has changed.

I still loved my sister. But I still hated my brother. For all the hurt he inflected onto my sister. She wasn't the same girl. She tried to pretend in front of us, but I saw through her façade. She lost faith in us, she couldn't trust us. She thought we would abandon her again.

But I still loved my sister – I was going to prove her wrong, shatter her doubt. I would never leave her again. She could trust me. She could always trust me. I would be her shoulder to cry on. I would be her confidant. I would share my secrets and my insecurities, just so she wouldn't feel she was lacking – that she wasn't enough. She was more than enough. She was _worthy_. And I made her see that every single day.

And little by little, she started to come out of her shell again.

She looked happy. Even if I hated my brother, he seemed to make my sister happy. And as long as she was happy, I was happy too.

At least I thought she was happy.

But I was wrong. So very wrong.

My sister wasn't happy. She pretended to be happy to please my brother, to please all of us. But there was something horribly wrong in their relationship. I didn't know if it had happened recently, or that it has been like this from the very beginning.

But one day my sister came over to our house. The rest of the family was hunting, but I stayed behind. I thought my stupid brother knew I was still home, but apparently he was too distracted with criticizing every single flaw in my sister to notice that I was eavesdropping.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He stood there, talking down to here like she was a child, telling her to never leave his side, to always check with him on anything she did for her "safety". He practically yelled at her for still talking to her werewolf friend. And she just stood there and took his verbal abuse – because she didn't want to upset him. She didn't want him to leave her again.

He told her where to go, when to be there. He held her hand only because he didn't want her to stray away from him. He threw away all her clothes and bought her a brand new wardrobe. He gave her an entire wall of shelves full of high-heeled shoes. Was this a joke? Did he not know her by now? Did he not know that she was the clumsiest person on the face of the earth? And what was worse is that she accepted them all because it _pleased_ him.

He even convinced her to get rid of her old truck. She loved that red truck more than any possession she had. But one day it was parked in the driveway of her home, and then the next day it was replaced with a sleek, dark grey, Mercedes Benz.

It was then that I realized that right before my very eyes my brother was molding her into his perfect picture of a mate. Why couldn't he understand that she was already perfect as she was?

Why didn't she have the courage to say anything to him? To speak up. To defend herself. To shake some sanity into him.

 _I_ wanted to shake some sense into _her_!

But Alice, she saw what I had planned. And she stopped me before I did anything. She told me that if I intervened I would only create a bigger problem. I didn't get what she meant. Was she blind too? Did she not see the problem that was already happening?

I _loved_ my sister. But not anymore. That girl, that resembled her, wasn't my sister. She was just an imitation. Before I knew it, we stopped talking. I stopped going to her house. And she spent more time with Edward and Alice when she came over to our house. She used to ask for me, but slowly my name on her lips was uttered less and less.

At least things couldn't get any worse. But I was wrong again.

I didn't even see it coming. But it smacked me right across the face one day when she and my brother suddenly declared that they were engaged. She stood there beside him, in our living room, facing my entire family. For the first time in months, she actually had a genuine smile on her face. She actually looked happy.

That is, until I saw her the next time. She was a good actress I'll admit. She really fooled me. She wasn't happy, she was more miserable than I had ever seen her. And Edward, he was too delusional to see what was so obvious. And Alice, I thought she cared about my sister. But planning the wedding was far more important than our sister's feelings.

So I kept my mouth shut. Even though it seemed I was no longer the Invisible Man. She started to notice me again. Mostly because out of everyone around her, I was the only one avoiding her. I don't even look at her.

A week before the wedding I crossed paths with her in our garage. I was just about to get into my car and she was getting out of her shiny vehicle.

We stood there in front of each other awkwardly. I pretended to find my keys to be fascinating while she stared at her shoes. Shoes that looked like they could easily twist her ankles.

"Hi." She finally said. When she realized I wasn't going to say anything.

I lifted my head, met her gaze and finally looked at her in I don't know how many months.

She looked so sad. I instantly felt like a piece of shit. "Hey." I replied.

She smiled. My chest swelled. Because I had hope – hope that somewhere deep down, among all those layers of perfectly curled brown hair, heavy make-up, and expensive designer clothes, was my simple and unique sister.

"I missed you." She said.

My hope rapidly grew. "I missed you more."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you going out?" her eyes shined. Big and brown and beautiful.

I answered. "Yeah,"

I couldn't help it; I gave her that smirk that she said was her favorite. The one that always made her blush. And it didn't disappoint. Her cheeks got all hot and pink. I forgot how adorable she could be. Even when she tried to play all cool, like her face wasn't glowing red.

"Wanna come along for a ride?" I offered – No, I _tempted_ her – I was always up to no good. And she was always my partner in crime. I thought perhaps this might be what we needed to rekindle our lost friendship.

She pouted. "I can't. Alice is on her way to help me pick the table settings for the wedding reception. She is bringing these vintage china plates she ordered from France."

And just like that my hope deflated.

She flattened her hands on the skirt part of her dress. "Ummm .. maybe you can join us instead?"

I don't know what possessed me, but I started to act like such a jerk. I laughed like what she just delivered was a grand punchline. "You know I'm not into all that girly-wedding nonsense. And last time I checked, you weren't into that as well." I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I didn't laugh in the first place.

She stood there, wide-eyed and frozen. Completely not expecting me to say what I just said. Truth be told, I was also shocked at myself. I didn't intent to offend her. But she got offended – and furious.

She crossed her arms defensively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of apologizing I lashed out. "It means that you don't care about this wedding any more than I do. And if you took one second to consider your own opinion in this matter, then you wouldn't even be having this big expensive, _meaningless_ wedding in the first place."

"Meaningless?" She gaped at me.

I instantly regretted what I said. But before I could tell her that I was being a grumpy grizzly ass, and that I didn't mean any of what I just said. She cut me off. "Why couldn't you just be happy for me?! I have been through a lot! And I am finally getting my happy ending. And I thought that _you_ , of all people, would want that for me. But instead you are being so mean to me!"

Her eyes were shining with tears. And her hands were shaking. She was trying so hard not to break down and cry. She was trying to mask her hurt with anger. When in reality I knew … oh god, I could still know her true feelings. She was disappointed in me.

"Listen .. I didn't mean," before I could even say anything she interrupted me.

"If you don't want to be a part of my happiness then no one is forcing you." She tried to hold her tears, but a single, glistening drop rolled down her cheek. "In fact, don't even waste your time coming to my wedding!"

She never yelled at me before. Her chin started to tremble and the tears were now falling in torrents.

This was the first time we spoke to each other in a while. I didn't want our conversation to end like this. She covered her face, trying to shield my view from seeing her cry.

She turned around and was about to run inside the house. But, of course, I was faster. I reached out and grabbed her arm. She refused to face me. Her shoulders were shaking as she continued to cry.

"I'm sorry." I say.

Those two words seem to have opened the flood of further tears as she wept louder.

I was the clown of the family. I never been much of a man of sophisticated words, solace, or wisdom. I seldom think with my head, and choose instead to talk out of my ass.

In my head I knew exactly what I wanted to say and do. I wanted to hug this girl, and very carefully and calmly explain to her that this illusion she conceived of happiness is a farce. That she was forcing herself to be something she is not, all for the sake of a boy that doesn't even appreciate her for who she is.

I wanted to tell her that she didn't need all this. The wedding that she never asked for in the first place, the clothes that she wasn't even comfortable wearing. And more importantly the lie that she has been feeding herself that this was what love was like – being a submissive little puppet that catered to the whims of a spoiled brat of a boy.

I wanted to tell her that any man would be lucky to have her without changing a thing about her. And there were many men out there that could treat her with the respect that she deserves. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if she ended up being with that werewolf boy. At least he understood her and valued her opinion – I would rather see her with anyone except Edward.

I loved her too much to see her ruin her life like this. I didn't want her spending years of her life thinking this is what she wanted. And then one day she realizes that she only wasted her time.

That's what I should have done. I should have talked some sense into her. But instead I do the complete opposite.

I grab her other arm, turn her around and press her body to mine. She instinctively wraps her arms around my waist. She thinks I am offering her comfort. She doesn't know that that wasn't my intention. But she becomes aware of it a little too late when I grab her face in my hands and kiss her.

For a few seconds she responds and squeezes her arms tighter around my waist. Only for her to suddenly regain her common sense and start fighting and thrashing against me.

She kicks me and pushes me. And I release her.

Now she is _really_ angry. So angry in fact that she raises her hand and slaps me across the face. I could tell she bruised her hand. But she refuses to acknowledge the pain in favor of glaring at me with such hatred.

"How dare you do this to me! I love Edward – no one is going to come between us!" she spits out.

She slowly walks away from me as she wipes her mouth. "I don't want you to come to the wedding. You are uninvited."

I didn't love my sister. Because I no longer saw her as my sister.

I was falling _in love_ with Bella.

And I hated myself for it.


	4. Birthday

Originally written: February 7th, 2015

Bella / Carlisle

Rating: M

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4\. **Birthday**

Carlisle Cullen wasn't much of a celebration man. But when it came to birthdays he made a conscious effort. Turning eighteen was considered a special birthday after all. Particularly when it was _Bella's_ eighteenth birthday. So a lot was weighing on this occasion.

After all, you only turn eighteen once! (If you weren't a vampire)

And like any eighteen year old, she decided to throw a party. What Carlisle didn't expect was how big of a turn out it was going to be. The music was loud that it could be heard from a mile away. And literally every teenager from Bella's high school was there. A big crowd that jumped incessantly to the beat of dubstep music.

Carlisle couldn't even hear himself think. Let alone maneuver across the sea of people to find the birthday girl.

A few teenagers tumbled to the floor, and instantly he recognized signs of inebriation. Apparently, what party couldn't be complete without the integration of alcohol? And it seemed for this particular occasion, the Chief had turned a blind eye for his babygirl's special day. As Carlisle could spot the kegs of beer in a corner with teenagers handing drinks around like free candy.

Carlisle, with his prim and proper navy suit and crisp angel blue shirt, and blonde hair sleeked back, felt more and more out of place. The sooner he found Bella and congratulated her then the sooner he could leave. Because at the end of the day, that's what he essentially came for.

He didn't want to be there, yet at the same time he did. And Bella was adamant that he showed up. Otherwise, she threatened not to speak to him until her next birthday. Carlisle held the girl in such a high regard that he didn't wish to disappoint her. If he had to swim across an ocean of drunk teenagers for her, then so be it.

The music suddenly switched into something more bass filled and faster beat. The lights flashed even quicker. And more people started to dance. Carlisle couldn't see past the swarm of bobbing heads. He knew his kids were attending the party but couldn't even spot them. Even with his perfect vision, the flickering lights, the loud music, and the smell of sweat and alcohol clouded his superior senses.

With that all said and done, Carlisle still made a marvelous job of not colliding with any of the dancing teenagers. However, he thought of that too soon as someone smacked against his front so hard he feared that person would have gotten hurt.

Without even thinking about it, Carlisle wrapped an arm to steady the person, and as soon as they got their bearings, he was going to release them and continue his search for the birthday girl. But it seemed the person that bumped into him had other ideas as they clung to the good doctor and pressed their body against him.

It didn't take a genius to recognize the curve of a female body. But it was what the female said that made Carlisle look down at her face. "Oh you finally came!" It was Bella –

Slightly _drunk_ Bella to be exact. She smiled up at the good doctor's handsome face and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Carlisle relaxed instantly. Had it been some other random person then he would have pushed them away. But with Bella, he didn't mind. And she looked like she could use the support as she seemed to be tripping over her own feet more than usual.

Carlisle used both his solid arms to hold the girl securely around her waist and help her up.

He gave her a puzzled smile as her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Even though he thought nothing of it.

"I'm so happy you could make it!" Bella said as she clung to the doctor even tighter. Pressing her front to his that Carlisle could feel every contour of her against him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Carlisle replied embarrassingly as he tried to place his hands on the girl in a manner more innocent and proper. "Are you having fun, Bella?" he asked.

Bella giggled. "Now I am." She rested her head on his shoulder. The tip of her nose brushed barely against his buttoned up collar. She purred and rubbed her nose against the man's neck. "You smell amazing!"

Carlisle swallowed. Words became tangled in his throat.

Suddenly her head popped in front of him. "Did you bring me a present?" she asked, still keeping a firm grip on the blonde patriarch.

Carlisle bit the inside of his cheek. ' _Shit!_ ' he thought. He knew he forgot something. And Bella was looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, dear. I left it back in my office at the hospital." He said regretfully.

Bella frowned. "Oh," she replied unhappily.

Suddenly her glazed eyes glinted playfully. "Well, you can give me another present right now."

Wanting to make her happy and rectify the situation. Without even considering it, Carlisle chirped kindly "Sure – anything you want."

Immediately he realized something. "But I have nothing to offer you, sweetheart."

She stretched her torso over him. "I can think of several things you could offer me," she replied with that same low purr. "Many of them you _rightfully_ owe me."

"Excuse me?"

She swooned dreamily. "Oh, don't act so coy!" She placed her hands on his chest and rubbed his muscular torso.

"I would be shitting myself if I normally said and did this any other day. But now that I am filled with a bit of liquid courage I feel like I could do all the things I would've been so afraid to do."

"Bella," Carlisle tried to slowly extricate himself from the girl. This wasn't good. And her hands seemed to have a mind of their own.

"Oh come on! Indulge me, it's my _birthday_ – Just this once." Her face leaned closer. "Please, just tonight."

Her hands wrapped once more around the doctor's neck. "I fantasize about you all the time."

Before Carlisle could even form a reply she kissed him.

In complete shock, Carlisle stood frozen and unresponsive. But when a small warm hand curved around the limp bulge in his pant and squeezed him through the material, he opened his mouth to protest.

Only to have a tongue slip between his lips and touch his own.

Bella moaned.

Carlisle growled.

She began to grind her pelvis on his leg because she was too short to reach his crotch.

The hands on her waist that meant to push her away cupped her ass. And she mewled happily.

But before anything else could happen, Bella suddenly jerked back and sharply looked at Carlisle. She gazed at him disbelievingly. "Heeeeeeeeyyy," she slurred. "You're not Edward!"

She pushed away from him and turned around to get lost in the crowd of dancing people.

Carlisle was disheveled, confused, and panting. The bulge in his pants went from limp to hard in a second.

Two people walked behind him. One of them clapped his hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Don't worry, she mistook us for Edward too." Jasper said over the pulsing music.

"And none of us bothered to correct her." Emmett laughed.

"where _is_ Edward?" Carlisle asked, still looking in the direction Bella disappeared in.

Emmett shrugged. "That idiot bailed. He couldn't handle all these horny teenagers and their drunken thoughts."

Carlisle, still in shock, said "I think I am going to leave."

"No, stay." Jasper objected with a smirk.

Carlisle turned to face both men. "Why?"

Emmett and Jasper shared a look before facing their father figure. "We were hoping for an encore." Jasper stated.

Carlisle touched his lips. It's been a long time since even Esme kissed him like that.

Yeah … he couldn't go home yet. And the next time Bella pounced, he might just let her do anything and everything she wanted to him.


	5. Attraction

Originally written: May 22nd, 2016

Carlisle / Bella

Rating: T

This scene was taken from Midnight Sun, told from Carlisle's perspective. I added my own little twist to it. This was meant to be a full story but it didn't make it past this first draft.

* * *

05\. **Attraction**

My mornings at the hospital could have been like any other morning. There were more than enough doctors on duty, and I sat in my office alone with my thoughts gazing at the only oil painting I favored that hung on my wall, instead of the many medical diplomas human doctors preferred to show off – But I didn't want to personalize my work space, because at any moment, of any day, we may have to pick up and leave.

I bided my time with my own peace of mind. Typical day.

That's what I thought my morning _could_ have been. But instead I had my son bursting through the door looking like a frantic mad man. Before he could even explain himself, I jumped to the only conclusion that would make him behave so edgy and panicked.

"Carlisle." He called my name as he approached.

I was on my feet, feeling the dread claw at my chest. ' _Edward, you didn't –'_ I thought in my mind. Was the temptation too great? Did he kill the Chief's daughter?

I wanted to give my son the benefit of the doubt. Hoped and preyed my assumptions were wrong. Yet at the same, already formulating a plan for us to leave this town, contact our lawyer, obtain new identities, and relocate somewhere away from this continent.

When my son suddenly cut through my thoughts to answer my qualms, "No, no, it's not that."

I felt the weight of what could have happened being lifted from my shoulders. As I sagged and took a deep relieved sigh. ' _Of course not. I'm sorry I entertained the thought. Your eyes, of course. I should have known …_ '

I felt utterly silly for getting ahead of myself when the proof laid there in Edward's, still, golden eyes. Of course he didn't slip, how foolish of me.

"She's hurt, though, Carlisle, probably not seriously, but –" he trailed off. Unsure of how to proceed.

"What happened?"

His words tumbled out over each other. Not, in all honesty, allowing me to comprehend the problem and offer my help.

' _Start over, I don't understand. How were you involved?_ '

He took a deep breath and started from the beginning. He explained the accident with the van, and the human girl's bad terrestrial misplacement at being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Alice's vision, and how he prevented the girl from being seriously hurt, if not worse; getting killed.

He explained this all without so much as looking me in the eyes. I could tell he felt ashamed of what he did, and how this could affect our secret, and possibly jeopardize everything. He felt like he disappointed all of us.

However, that was not what my thoughts led me to. I circled my plain, but tidy, desk and placed my hand on his shoulder.

' _You did the right thing. And it couldn't have been easy for you. I'm proud of you, Edward_ '

I tried to the best of my ability to convey my most honest feelings. And I really was genuinely proud. Resisting a Singer's blood is one of the most challenging feat a vampire could endure, and often more they fail. But my son was strong of mind. As his father and sire, I was proud.

Edward looked at me, worry and fear still swirling in his eyes. "She knows there's something … wrong with me."

"That doesn't matter. If we have to leave, we leave. What has she said?"

"Nothing yet." He looked frustrated.

I frowned. ' _Yet?_ '

Edward ran his hand through his bronze hair. "She agreed to my version of events. But she is expecting an explanation –

"She hit her head. Well, I did that," He quickly explained his actions when he caught the wide-eyed look I gave him upon hearing what he just said. "I knocked her to the ground fairly hard. She seems fine, but … I don't think it will take much to discredit her account."

He looked disturbed even as he said the words. I couldn't blame him. I didn't like it either, despite it being the most favorable solution. He was suggesting we play off the girl's trauma for an excuse that what she had seen may have been a delusion caused by her head injury.

' _Perhaps that won't be necessary. Let's see what happens, shall we? It sounds like I have a patient to check on._ '

"Please." He said. "I'm so worried that I hurt her."

I smiled and smoothed my hair back, laughing at the irony of the situation. ' _It has been an interesting day for you, hasn't it?_ '

All this time he had assumed he would have been the person to harm her. But in the end he ended up being her protector.

* * *

I asked Edward to stay behind in my office. He already had enough on his mind, let alone the mental span of all the sick occupants of the hospital and their worried kin. While I proceeded down to the radiology wing.

I wasn't going to see the girl yet. I knew that if she thought there might be something wrong with Edward, that she will undoubtedly come to the same conclusion about me the second I was within her sight. Instead, I stood outside the ER and asked the physician assistant on her initial diagnosis, while the Chief's daughter awaited her turn to be moved to radiology. If the situation doesn't require me coming face to face with the girl yet, then I shouldn't rush the inevitable.

From what I gathered from the voices in the ER – the girl was wheeled for her turn to be X-ray. I took a different, much longer route. Plenty of time for the girl to be scanned and sent back to the emergency room.

And by the time I arrived to radiology I noticed Edward was standing outside and covertly peering in on the girl's scan. I smiled when he noticed me approaching.

' _You look better,_ ' He looked calm, if not immensely relieved.

We couldn't talk freely, there were others around. ' _Ah, yes_.' I remarked as I examined the girl's x-rays. ' _I see. She's absolutely fine. Well done, Edward._ '

Rather than feel at ease, he looked conflicted. "I think I'm going to go talk to her – before she sees you," He whispered for my ears only. "Act natural, like nothing happened. Smooth things over."

I nodded absently while I continued to look over the girl's x-rays.

* * *

Minutes later I was standing outside the ER. I could hear my son telling the girl; "It's all about who you know. But don't worry, I came to spring you." He obviously meant for it to come off as humorous. To diffuse the tension in the room and perhaps establish a lighter mood now that the worse of the accident was behind them – well, short of the damage control we needed to do to ensure we don't skip town.

However, I could tell - even from where I stood outside - that my son's words made the girl irritable. She was already being subjected to numerous examinations despite her injury being below minimal. As well as verbally expressing that she wished to be released from the gurney despite the nurse insisting she remained put.

In my opinion, this wasn't going to help us cover our tracks. And while I knew my son wanted to feign that all the girl saw was a concoction of her own head. His attitude was only lighting a fire under her, which could perhaps set her to talk faster than anticipated. Already her heart was beating irregularly quick.

' _Edward –_ ' I called to my son from outside, knowing he could still clearly hear my thoughts. ' _Perhaps you should go. I know you mean well, son – but right now all you are doing is exasperating the poor girl._ '

Edward excused himself from the room, seconds later he opened the door and stopped in front of me in the hallway. He looked bothered. Perhaps by my words –

"What do you mean by 'exasperating'?" he asked under his breath.

' _You promised the girl an explanation. And right now that is all the reason she has for keeping herself quiet – a blessing if you ask me. Although …_ ' I trailed off, feeling a tad uncertain.

"Although?" he frowned.

' _Your nonchalant behavior could already insinuate to her what we may be up to – if she gets the impression you may not keep your word on the answers you owe her, she could very easily talk to others about this. We need her to be cooperative, son._ '

Edward huffed and ran a hand through his disarrayed hair. "What do you suggest, then?"

' _Go home. Let me handle the girl – please trust me._ '

He wanted to object, but didn't. "Very well … Let me know how it goes as soon as you're done."

I nodded and watched as my son strutted through the hospital exit.

I gathered my thoughts and prepared for what I was about to do as I walked towards the double doors of the ER. I was never one who enjoyed planting doubt in people's heads. It was dishonest and went against everything my upbringing brought me to believe about being a good man. If my father was still alive he would have ridiculed me for my feebleness. But I tried to reason that what _has_ to be done was for the sake of protecting my family.

With one final exhale, I pushed the doors open and walked into the emergency room. My eyes immediately went to the bed that had the curtains drawn around it – Edward must have pulled them around the bed to shield the girl away from her classmate, the one who crashed the van. Who currently had a doctor tending to the gash on his forehead.

As I approached the concealed bed, a nurse emerged from behind the curtain. She jumped when she noticed me. And informed me that she unhooked the girl from the gurney. I smiled and relieved her of the obligation. I preferred there to be no other humans around for the interesting conversation I was sure to have with the Chief's daughter.

I walked around the drapes and looked at the girl's form as she sat on the side of the hospital bed.

The moment I came into her view she looked up at me. Her eyes went wide. But then, so did mine – albeit a tad subtler than her reaction. I was fully prepared for her to notice how eerily I bore resemblance to Edward despite being his adoptive father.

What I didn't factor in, however, was my own shock. Beyond hearing about the girl in passing from the townspeople who visited the hospital, I didn't know much about her.

I could see now why the boy in the other bed was incessantly annoying her. Isabella Swan was pretty, too pretty – even for someone her age.

I appeared calm and professional as I approached the girl. "So, Miss Swan, how are you feeling?" I asked.

The girl exhaled slowly and swept her long, thick hair over one shoulder, exposing her slender delicate neck. Her skin was so pale; she could have easily been mistaken for one of us.

"I'm fine," She replied. Her voice was quiet but to the trained ears she was obviously upset.

"Your X-rays look good. Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."

"No, I'm fine." She answered a bit tightly. I suppose at the mention of Edward's name it brought forth a sour response.

I stepped closer to her. "May I have a look?" I asked. While as her doctor I could have examined her without needing her verbal consent. But the gentleman in me was opposed to that approach.

The girl didn't protest, nor decline. She tilted her head silently in my direction, offering it up for my scrutiny. I couldn't help smiling at her performance. There was something entirely endearing about her mannerism. As though she wants to be insolent, but like me, something within her inherently prevents her from being impolite.

I slowly ran my hand over her head, attempting to find the bruise beneath her hair. I tried to ignore how warm her skin was, or that her hair felt like silk running between my fingers. I shook the thoughts from my mind, forcing my judgements to be entirely professional.

The girl winced when my fingers landed on a significant bump. "Tender?" I asked.

Again, I was asking clinically. But I wasn't prepared for the girl's response. "Yes, Doctor. It _hurts_!" She moaned.

My eyes widened. But she couldn't see my reaction as she had her head bent down while I stood over her.

The way she spoke, her tone – it sounded … suggestive. But I could be mistaken. I must have heard it wrong. No, I _must_ have heard her wrong. She was expressing her pain. That's all.

I realized that I was still grasping her head. And worst of all was that I was so silent and still on my feet that she tilted her head to look up at me.

Rather than speak up or remove my hand from her. I stood over the girl and met her brown, curious, gaze. Her chocolate eyes were big, and warm, and doe-like. They inadvertently pulled me in.

The room seemed to suddenly charge with an electrifying force that I have never felt before. And I couldn't even very well explain it. Except to say that it made it seem like everything around me dimmed out of focus – all except for the girl under my touch.

"Doctor Cullen." She spoke softly.

A trickle of the same electric current surged through me at hearing her call me by my professional title.

I must have heard it thousands of times from several people in several octaves. But I have never heard it spoken that way before.

It suddenly became shockingly obvious of all the signs I was experiencing …

I was allured to the girl. This human girl, who inadvertently, was _also_ my son's Singer.

I should be disgusted with myself … completely appalled. I was a married man, for heaven's sake! Marriage trumped any other enticement. And yet I never felt these butterflies in my chest the same as when I was with my wife.

I gently pulled my hand away from the girl's head. Trying to ignore all the treacherous inner voices that told me how good it felt to feel even just the girl's hair in my palm.

Despite her suffering a head injury, I felt like it was me who was mentally reeling. As my whole world seemed to turn and twist from the reality I once knew and recognized – Why now? And, of all people, why her?

"Doctor, are you ok?" She asked. She looked concerned.

It was very ironical considering our positions. _I_ was supposed to be the one to ask about her health status, not the other way around.

I smiled genially. "Yes, of course, Miss Swan."

A frown graced her face. "Please, Doctor – Just Bella will be find …"

I nodded stiffly. "Bella, then," Her name rolled easily from my lips.

I cleared my throat. "Well, your father is in the waiting room – you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

"Thank you, Doctor." She said softly. Her voice …

She swung her legs over the side of the mattress while I stepped back to give her some room. She carefully slid from the bed until her feet touched the floor.

It seemed her balance wasn't fully restored as she wobbled on her feet. She was about to fall to the floor but I wasn't going to allow that – as I stepped forward and had her fall into my arms instead.

"Perhaps you should stay." I suggested before I even knew _what_ I was suggesting.

"I'm fine." She stated. Her blush growing hotter by the second as she steadied herself in my arms.

Obviously I couldn't force her to stay against her well. And perhaps her objection was for the best of both of us. Rather than keep her near me any longer, I should be sending her on her way.

Once she was able to confidently stand on her own feet I released my hold on her. I dropped my hands to my sides, rubbing my thumbs across my fingers. Wondering why did that simple and innocent touch made me feel positively giddy.

"Take some Tylenol for the pain." I instructed.

She turned and smiled bashfully at me. "I will."

I tried not to look too long at her face and instead busied myself with signing her forms. I handed her the discharge paper. And when she reached out to take it from me, her hand touched mine.

She gasped. I flinched. Even if we had accidently touched for a second. I never felt anything like that before. And I couldn't even find the words to begin to explain how it was like.

She thanked me one last time. And practically ran out of the emergency wing. While I stood there, frozen in place. Trying to make sense of the entire encounter and failing to fully and mentally comprehend what on earth did I just experience?

Isabella Swan … _who are you?_

* * *

Weeks went by since the events of that unfathomable day in the ER. I tried to put the events behind me and concentrate on my job, my family, and my life.

The first few days after that incident I found it very hard to focus while I was at the hospital. Especially when I passed by the gurney where it all "happened". But as time went by my mornings reverted back to their usual routine.

Occasionally I would find myself absentmindedly thinking of _her_. I'm usually so in control of myself and I can honestly say I didn't know what came over me. I have come across many good looking women over the decades – yet, of all the females in the world, I had to take notice of the girl that my son likes … yes, he likes her. Something I learned recently.

He hasn't said anything, but it's obvious to the entire family. And the last thing he needed to ruin his possible happiness is his own father as competition.

I leaned over my desk and placed my face in my hands and groaned.

Someone approached my office door and knocked. I inclined back in my chair and composed myself. At least, I _tried_ to make my appearance look calm and poised. But inside my head, I was a mess.

"Come in." I called loud enough for whoever behind the door to enter.

Lo and behold, Isabella Swan enters my office. Very carefully and timidly. She remains beside the door, leaving it open just a tad.

I didn't understand why she was here. I looked at the time and it appeared to be earlier than noon, on a school day. But instead of being in school, she was here. Standing in front of me.

"Miss Swa … Bella, what are you doing here?" I rose slowly from my seat. "Are you alright?"

"You told me to come back if there was something wrong …" She trailed off unsurely. A heavy blush brightening her fair skin.

Being a doctor, I simply couldn't ignore when a person sought my medical help. I walked around my desk. I could feel my face form a worried expression. And I wondered what could be wrong with her. Had I misjudged the x-ray scans? Was there something else that I didn't pick up?

My thoughts were going a mile a minute, second guessing my own medical diagnostics. Something I had never done before since I first practiced medicine.

"If your busy I … I could go," She fidgeted.

I sighed. I knew that if I sent her away that I might feel guilt later for doing so. I would basically be going against the oath I took centuries ago. If the girl truly needs my help, then I simply could not send her away.

"No, I am free at the moment. Please come in." I motioned for her to take one of the two seats adjacent to my desk.

While she sat down I closed the door to my office. At the same time, I pulled my phone from my trouser pocket to check and make sure it was turned on and working – how weird that Alice didn't see this. A forewarning would have been appreciated.

I returned to sit behind my desk and plastered a neutral expression my face. The girl looked around my, almost stark, office with a frown on her face. Until her eyes rested on the oil painting behind me. She smiled when she saw it. A part of me was compelled to ask her what made her smile at one of my most favorite pieces of art. But I submerged that impulse as it would dilute the whole purpose of keeping this interaction completely ethical.

She looked back at me, and it just dawned on me that as she met my gaze that she has caught me silently watching her. Her smile quivered and she lowered her head to look at her hands. But I could very clearly smell and see the blush she tried to hide behind that thick wavy hair.

"So Miss Swan … I mean, Bella," I can see her trying to conceal her smile when I corrected her name. "You told me you had a problem – How can I help you?"

She suddenly seemed nervous and her hands clenched until the knuckles turned bone-white. And then, almost as though she got electrocuted, she jumped to her feet. "I'm sorry – I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry for wasting your time!" She cried warily and attempted to bolt for the door.

However, she wasn't as quick as I was. So when her hands grasped the doorknob, I was already behind her pressing my hand on the door, preventing it from opening. And of course my strength was no match for hers.

I do not know what suddenly came over her. Or what even came over me to decide to stop her from fleeing, for that matter. But I knew in my gut that I couldn't just let her leave. If she had a problem, if she needed my help, then I couldn't _not_ at least make an effort.

I gazed at her back and I could see the poor girl practically shaking. Without even checking myself, I reached out to her and placed my hand on her smaller frame and slowly turned her around. She didn't resist, but if she had then I wouldn't have forced her to face me. Still, she kept her head down. Her heart was beating so quickly.

"Bella," I calmly begun. "Whatever the problem may be, I will help you as best I could. But you need to trust me enough to tell me what it is."

She sighed. "There is something wrong with me, Doctor." She whispered. And if I didn't have strong hearing then I wouldn't have caught it.

"Please, call me Carlisle." I wanted her to know that she could trust me. After all, if I could keep my family's dark secret from the world, then her conundrum wouldn't prove much of a challenge.

Her eyes met mine. And just like the first time I saw them, I felt the air unequivocally get knocked out of me.

"Carlisle." She said my name. And god help me but it sounded sensational as she said it. I felt the venom pooling in my mouth and had to swallow it back down.

"I have a problem, Carlisle." She said.

I felt excitement running down my spine. "You can tell me anything." Apparently my mouth was now saying things without consulting with my brain first.

She stepped closer - carefully, hesitantly - only leaving a few inches between us. She blinked, batting those long lashes at me. She was breathing heavily, warm air escaping from those rosy lips. Her cheeks were bright red and I could almost taste the heat of it on the tip of my tongue.

Her hair was wavy and slightly wild, framing that perfect heart-shaped face of hers. There was no denying it, she was stunning. Absolutely stunning.

I was so unbelievably entranced by her that I almost missed what she was going to say; "Ever since that day that I saw you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I never felt anything like this before. And I can't pretend that it doesn't exist or ignore it – I just had to see you again. I know, for a fact, that day you also felt it too."

She stepped even closer to me. "I even know, undeniably, that you feel it right now … I can see it in your eyes,

"But if I am wrong then … you can send me away – You won't see me again and I will never bother you. I'll even move back to Phoenix with my mother."

I was shocked at hearing her confession. And even more shocked that she was even giving _me_ the choice in the matter. I would be lying to myself if I said that I couldn't stop thinking about her as well. She was hard to get off my mind. And every little thing I would come across I would instantly connect to her in some way or another. An obsession couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

It was more physical. Like a yearning … or an attraction.

And to know that she just handed me all the power to either acknowledge her feelings for me or to never see her again was both exhilarating and petrifying. And to be perfectly honestly with myself … I wasn't strong enough, or confident enough, to let her go just yet. I'm not even sure how I managed to let her walk away from me the first time.

I backed away from the door, from her. She must have thought my retreat was a form of rejection. I could see the beginning of disappointment blooming on her face.

But before her emotions could fully sink in, I said "Lock the door … and come here." I beckoned her to me.

Her eyes widened and her heart doubled its rhythm. She didn't hesitate as she reached behind her and turn the key before she approached me.

I knew this was wrong. Because I was still married. But at the same time it felt so very right. I never felt these feeling for Bella the same as I do for Esme. Our marriage may have lasted until now, but our love eventually died down. The only thing that even kept us together were our children.

And only during these weeks when I met Bella Swan that I had finally come to that realization. Just the way she even looked at me was a surreal and wonderful feeling. And it stirred something within my chest that I never knew was there in the first place.

Although, I was still worried because I had a dark and dangerous secret. And I feared that she would run away the moment she knew what I really was. What my family is. But a voice in my head assured me that she could handle it, she was strong enough to accept me for who I am. This fragile and beautiful human being.

I knew that eventually reality would catch up to us. She was a student and she was young, and I was the town's doctor. And I was married and a family man. And I had to explain this to Esme. But most importantly … I had to explain this to my son, Edward.

I would have to step on a lot of people to get what I wanted – This girl that was currently in my arms. But holding her to me, I knew that I could persevere.

After all, only one person could make me feel the way that she does. And in my heart I knew that destiny meant for us to be together.


End file.
